The legacy of Cody's Wish just continues to grow.
On July 4, the 4-year-old son of Curlin had to dig deep to repel the late charge of rival Three Technique in Churchill Downs' Hanshin Stakes, prevailing by a neck. That battle echoed that of his namesake, Cody Dorman, who suffers from the rare genetic disorder Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome.
The Dorman family was in attendance for the Hanshin win, getting in the winner's circle with the Godolphin homebred's connections.
“Words really can't describe how special that was,” said trainer Bill Mott's chief Kentucky assistant trainer Kenny McCarthy. “This horse, who is named after someone so special to us and the barn, Cody Dorman, showed so much heart to get the job done today. We're just so happy to play a small part in this very special story. He had to work pretty hard today but he was determined and didn't want to lose.”
According to wtvq.com, Dorman's father said that meeting with the Godolphin foal was a rare moment for his son.
“As far as actually hearing him laugh out loud – we've only seen those times maybe I can count on one hand, and he did it that day,” Kelly Dorman told WTVQ.
Dorman has suffered thousands of seizures and dozens of surgeries. Doctors told his family he would only live for two years, but Dorman is 16 years old in 2022.
Following that meeting, farm employee Mary Bourne was inspired and named the colt “Cody's Wish.”
Although Cody's Wish ran third in his first three starts at Saratoga, it was almost as though he was waiting for Dorman to be in attendance when he won his first race. After Cody's Wish shipped to Kentucky last fall, Dorman was on hand for his first three career wins at Churchill Downs.
“This went from a wish and turned into a dream come true,” said Kelly Dorman.
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